"Unfortunately, this was not my time to lead our city," Garcia told supporters. "But Houston still gave me the opportunity to dream the idea that just maybe I could have had the opportunity to give back to the city."

"The message is that Houstonians are increasingly frustrated with the city not delivering basic services, with an increase in revenue and yet the city can't balance the budget," King said.

Video: Turner watch party

Former Congressman Chris Bell and City Councilman Steve Costello conceded as the first election day results trickled in, about an hour and a half after the polls closed.

"It has been such a privilege. Thank you for your work and for your support. Thank you for caring. Never stop fighting for #Houston," Bell tweeted.

Tuesday marks the culmination of a lengthy general election campaign slog in which the half-dozen top-tier candidates appeared at dozens of special-interest forums to collectively champion many of the same concerns: city finances, infrastructure and public safety.

Rather than gathering steam through the final weeks, the race largely was overshadowed by the polarizing fight over the city's equal rights ordinance, or HERO, which garnered national attention and high-dollar fundraising.